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Monday, November 29, 2010

Our next big venture you ask?! Well the vote was cast and the tally's are in so here is what we have: we're making a video game. Now before you start thinking of "Bob and Jim's Awesome FPS RPG Rascist Comedy Def Jam Cutting Edge Graphics BONANZA!" lemme just dispel all assumptions at first bat.

We're making a game, nothing special just something that works to see if we can do it. It'll be a shooter but not like Call of Duty I'm talking Galaga or 1942, ya dig? A whole bunch of enemies and your main guy just mowing 'em down. We'll all be taking part in this with music, level design, enemy design, programming, the works and it's gonna be time consuming and hard but totally awesome in the long run to have something tangible that we can show off.

Also, don't expect anything ground breaking as far as a story goes. It looks like it's gonna be Shoe Dude off to shoot up random jerk faces. Also a character called JumpRocket. It's a jet that has legs and can jump. Get it? Not quite as awesome as a gun that shoots other guns that shoot explosions but... That's actually a good idea. I'm saving that one. We'll keep you posted as development progresses. Also, seeking out a good company that can make the shirts, not so easy and customink.com does good work, they're just a tad expensive for what we want. That is all.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

1998 was more amazing then any of us will ever know. In video gaming, it wasn't only the best year for creativity, but it was also the best year to be a gamer.

Pick any month (besides June... friggin' summer) and you will find an amazing, creative, original piece of art, even if you were not a PC gamer. Let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?

1998

Jan.-

PlayStation owners got two amazing games, one right after the other. We saw the release of Resident Evil 2 and Final Fantasy Tactics.

Feb.-

Tekken makes a comeback with the 3rd ineration of the fighting game series, released for the PlayStation (three great games for the PS1 in a row in 1998, lucky bastards).

Mar.-

PlayStation owners celebrate yet another victory in getting an amazing line-up thanks to a little game called Parasite Eve, one of Squares best games. Also, PC gamers get an addiction started the old fashion way thanks to the release of Starcraft. man, it did take a long time for 2 to come out, huh?

Apr.-
The Sega Saturn gets its final masterpiece with the release of the Panzer Dragoon Saga, an amazing, and epic RPG based off of the rail-shooter series.

May.-
Wow, Epic games has come a long way since this month. Unreal gets it release, using the same engine that would power many games following it and influencing how game engines were created.

June-
Well, better late than never, Nintendo. They let Rare off it's chain for a second, and Banjo-Kazooie gets released to the masses, making everyone with a childhood near 1998 remember their name.

July- Uh, nothing to see here... No, really. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Summer game droughts have never been worse, especially when gamers knew what was coming out in the fall...

Aug.-
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six makes us rethink how shooters work in this team and tactics based game of skill and challenge.

Sep.- Spyro the Dragon was released this month. So was Fallout 2. But no one was playing those games for long after two little Game Boy games made their U.S. debut. Pokemon Red & Blue gets etched into our brains and hearts.

Oct.- Xenogears. Metal Gear Solid. Grim Fandango. Any of these games alone would have made a fantastic month. But put them all together? My god, your on to something... I feel a strange wind coming... It smells like... November.

Nov.-
Three incredible games, One amazing month. PC gamers get Half-Life and Baldurs Gate. Nintendo 64 owners get The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. If you had any free time before, its gone now. These games, along with the latest Thief and StarCraft games made this a month to remember. It was a month to be a PC gamer, and a month to bet on Nintendo.

Dec.-
Lets close off the year with a fun little shooter. There aren't many games that allowed you to step into the shoes (or moccasins) of a Native American. Even fewer let you kill dinosaurs as one. Turok 2: Seeds of Evil was released for the PC and N64 platforms.

So, 1998. You were a good year. Very interesting, very cunning. Very original. These days the most innovation seen seems to be either through indie developers or on a handheld, but the games are still being made, thank god. But there will never be quite a year like 1998. Because of that, we should look back on it as a year in the history of gaming that will be remembered for quite some time. Until then, we still have one more thing to think about: Where's the next 1998?

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

So this is of course a true story as all the Raptor Inc. comics are. This particular one being with myself and... well you can just put any other person from Raptor Inc. into there and you'd be accurate. Rocket Race is one of my favorite game types, once Shadonickles introduced me to the concept of "boosting" by shooting a rocket behind your mongoose to create an explosion that sends you flying across the map I became a changed man. Nothing got done from that point on. It was and still is amazing. For those of you who discredit Halo for whatever reason, there's no better way to have some physics related fun and cause some massive explosions than with a good ol' round of Rocket Race and I highly recommend giving a "boost" a try.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

This is my irregularly updated column of whatever I feel like putting in it.

Why?

Because I can.

It may not be as long or as thought out as Darris' posts, but hey! I don't really know how to finish that statement. Anyway, there isn't really much that comes to mind at the moment, other than that it appears we now fully exist. So as for right now, I shall leave you with this;

Saturday, November 20, 2010

It seems like 90% of games released these days have some sort of dedicated multiplayer that's packaged with the game. Why is this? Because multiplayer sells. It might not sell much for some games, but these days gamers are smart. They know that if they are not getting a long, or at least engaging, single-player story, they want the ability to fall back on to something else to validate their purchase.

Multiplayer has been a main focus in gaming in general for a long time, going all the way back to the paper-and-dice days of Dungeons and Dragons. Having a friend join you on a quest or journey is just more fun, especially when both of you have the same end-goal in mind. In fact, the first video game that was created electronically, Tennis For Two on an old oscilloscope, was built for two players.

For me, multiplayer wasn't ever a main point in my decision on purchasing a video game. I was always just interested in the game itself. But as of late, I find multiplayer to be more and more a thought to run through my head, that is, when it looks like a sort of innovation. Just a few days ago I purchased Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Not only am I enjoying the fantastic continuation of the main story, but the multiplayer always has me coming back for more. Even though none of my other friends has AC:B, I still find much to like from this fresh take on playing multiplayer.

I know that their are some gamers out there who only make decisions based on if their friends will be playing it as well, and I'm finding it harder and harder to judge them for it. The benefits of cooperative gaming far out weight the negatives at this point. I might love the single-player narratives out there more than ever now, but I have to admit that it will only last as long as the developers want.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Hello, my name is Gleamian. I will be conducting these "Music Columns" from now 'till I die or someone supplants me. For the ones who have involuntary prejudicial interpretation on certain brands of music...please...be open-minded. For those who don't know me, I do not claim to have high intelligence nor do I feel superior to others; and for those who do know me, well, you know me...Okay, I'm going be posting lyrics, chords with lyrics, lessons/step-by-steps...Now the songs are going to be simple and short...so don't be in such a hurry to play the fast-paced/complicated songs. You must learn to crawl to learn how to stand, wait a minute....hold on.....you must learn how to run before you can fly....or is it learn how to walk before stand?.....whatever. So be patient, and...Oh yeah! That reminds me, those who don't play strings instruments, don't worry, the chords in the songs I post wiil still work, don't give up!!! See ya'll next week!

Monday, November 15, 2010

So, it was Mario's 25th a week ago, and since that time, I've been thinking back on my gaming memories. My first game system, my first game completed, and my first Mario game. Looking back, there's a lot of thing's I have seen and played, and I would share some of those memories with you.

Even though I might not be the oldest gamer (I was born in 1989) I still consider my upbringing with video games to be one that some younger gamers today might not fully grasp. There's always been console wars, title characters, and overused game types (yes, even zombies). But there is a few things that getting into video games early help gamers adapt to, and that's the constant of gaming.

It's easier than ever for anyone to get into gaming, and thank God for that. Back in the early 90's you were hard pressed to find someone who would have been just as into gaming as you. But I think that the ease of gaming today will make gaming slightly weaker moving forward. Back then you had to convert people, show them why gaming was great. Give them a controller and let them interact with something they never knew could be.

I remember my first gaming moments very clearly. I was three years old, and my older sister Heather had an NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). I would spend time constantly playing Track and Field, Bart vs. the Space Mutants, and Super Mario Bros.. I wouldn't really know what I was doing, but I did know that I was in control. I had direct involvement with my character, and I could make them jump, run, and attack.

When I turned four I received my first Game Boy. That's when I started gaming. I would play just about anything, and I can clearly remember putting so much time into Ghouls 'n Ghosts that I knew just about everything about it. Then I received my SNES, and another evolution occurred. My gaming interest grew to a point that I would go out and find as much news and information about gaming that I could. My Super Nintendo collection was solid, and filled with amazing titles that I loved to play. The Super Nintendo also allowed for an even more engrossing collection of games that focused on something more than gameplay, and that's the narrative.

The Nintendo 64 would be that last system that I would receive as a gift, as every system after that I would buy myself. From my youth to now, I have always been involved in gaming in some way. Thanks to gaming I am now a fan of anime and manga. Because of video games, I now constantly think of stories and poems, and I push myself to think outside the box. Because of video games, I have a greater appreciation for what can be considered art.

Next week we've got two members of Raptor Inc. competing in GameStop's 1 vs 1 in-store tournament for a game I personally hate but it's competition and it's getting our name out there so wish luck to:
DraconisTheory (Myself) and
Demon1616 (Dean Alexander)
The prize is a share of $30,000 so wish us the best of luck! Also there is a 4 vs 4 tournament coming up so if any raptors out there want to put together a 4 man team to take on the rest of the pot drop an email to raptorincemail@gmail.com. For more info on the tournament go to: http://www.gamestop.com/gs/tournaments/codbo/default.aspx

Monday, November 8, 2010

Hooray! The T-shirts are almost complete, by gum and we can consider taking on another project. This is exciting because it was only 5 weeks ago we were on a dead end road and now we're on track to really come together and do something awesome as a group and maybe change the direction of our lives in the process. Coming together and actually getting stuff done doesn't hurt, ya know? Unless it's murder.

Anyway at the last meeting we brought a few things to the table, things that were discussed were the finalization of the shirts, the upcoming Reach tournament we will be participating in, recruitment possibilities, soft sensual kissing, and the choosing of the next project after the shirts are done. I will now list said pruposed adventures so all my look and see and vote and decide and then seriously vote and move on. I'm not putting this as a poll because I want each vote to be a comment on this post so I can actually make sure no one is spamming the poll.

So without further ado, here's the list:
Video game
Board game
Cook book
Graphic novel
Movie

Keep in mind this has to be fun but at the same time something we can potentially make some cash off of so we can fund future projects and work on improving our situation.

In case you haven't noticed Raptor Inc.'s website at the moment is really just a blog. In fact it is a blog, we just don't treat as such because we refuse to accept that fact. I have recently been approached on the subject of joining Raptor Inc. and realised that we don't really have an official way of registering and tracking members except through tribal knowledge. Of course there is no descrimination on who can join, anyone can if you have the drive to colaborate with like minded individuals and get something accomplished for profit or entertainment purposes. Hopefully for both.
Until we can come up with a more formal recruitment method any person interested in joining and engaging in company projects should do so by downloading Steam from http://store.steampowered.com/ and setting up an account. Once this is done you can look up the Raptor Inc. group, find all the members through the group page, participate in company meetings and contribute ideas through the comment section or the group chat therien.
If you can't get on the chat unless you download a game or whatever may be the reason go up to the search bar and type in Alien Swarm and download it. The game is free and once you have it you'll unlock all the features for Steam. You don't have to be a gamer to get into what we do, we're so eclectic we end up dipping our paws into pretty much everything, this is the most convenient way to communicate, come together, and hang out with all of us until we can get a website with a forum up and running which will come, oh yes, it will come.
If you don't feel like doing any of this you can email us at raptor.inc.email@gmail.com and tell us your interested and we'll keep you posted. Word.

In case you didn't know it the whole crew is getting together in December between the 27th and the 15th for a New Years bash and also to create some cool new stuff. Among these ventures are new videos for the Raptor Inc. YouTube channel (which you can see random clips from among the other videos playing on this blog).

In order to prepare for production we will need skit and script suggestions at least if we can't come up with some actual material to go on, if we have time we can even even storyboard them and grab some props before we have to do a mad dash into Wal Mart as usual for everything we could possibly need. Last time we got off with a giant paper bag of ketchup packets and a german shepherd. Don't worry about that if you don't understand it. Anyway, email your suggestions or post them as comments on this article and let's get ready for hilarity.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

We are pleased to announce to birth of our first business oriented sub-division: Raptor Ink!

Raptor Ink is our commisioned art firm, if you need a conceptual piece, logo, tattoo design, or anything else 2d and drawable we can provide! Prices are by the hour of work, $18 an hour with 10% discount for military and 5% discount for students and seniors. Oh yeah, I went there. Most jobs take 2-3 hours for the initial penciling depending on the complexity of the request. Payment will be dealt with through mail order as we have no means of dealing with money online at this time. I won't go into a lot of description here since it's pretty self explanatory, instead I'll let the art speak for itself.

Go to this page to see some examples of the work I've done for commision. I have a lot of experience in tattoo design having done so for several years. I can draw anything, literally, with enough time and patience and I will work with you personally to achieve the look that you want. After the initial pencil phase is complete you can opt to have your piece transfered to one of our digital artists to finalize the product.http://draconistheory.deviantart.com/

If you're interested email us at raptor.inc.email@gmail.com. Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to helping you create some sweet art!

Raptor Inc. has a presence in a lot of things, we're eclectic in every sense of the word. In fact I'm pretty sure it should be changed to raptlectic. Anyway, all of out gamer members and followers can be found on the Valve operated gaming service known as Steam (http://store.steampowered.com/).Just go to the site in the top left corner you can see where you can download Steam and get it on all the granduer of it. It is free but in order to access vertain features you may have to buy a game on it. This isn't such a bad deal because all of their games are awesome, you can usually find a pretty sweet bargain since they have sales every week (huge ones around Christmas time i.e. Mass Effect was like $5), and it can manage any other games you may previously own.We use Steam to conduct all of our meetings and it offers chat rooms and voice chat meetings which help out a lot. Our group name on there is Raptor Inc (abbreviated as RINC) and you can find me (DraconisTheory), Ogachi, Fat4all, Shadonickles, Gleamian, and Nerrage if you need anything. Word.

Howdy! Being as proffessional and serious as we are (as you can tell by our comics) we have created an email account for any questions, comments, concerns, memberships, what have you regarding Raptor Inc. or any of our projects. Please, feel free to drop us a line at any time... Rhyme, lime, slime, thyme, mime, etc.

Here at Raptor Inc. we believe in classing up our games so we have an idea of what to do with them because it's not always about the gaming. Sometimes it's about kicking someone's ass. Class 1 games are competition games. Class 2 games have the potential to become Class 1. Class 3 games are no good for competition but good for playing to relax or just have fun. Class 4 games suck.

Right now our main Class 1 is Halo: Reach, we're building our 4v4 team up to take on MLG next year. It's gonna be brutal but it's what we're good at.